THE HOLY MARTYRS ALEXANDER AND ANTONINA

June 10

From the Prologue

Both Alexander and Antonina were from Alexandria. Antonina was an honorable
virgin and Alexander an imperial soldier. They were both Christians. Antonina was
first brought to trial and tortured. When they cast her into prison, Alexander,
by the command of an angel of God, went to the prison (even though until now he
did not know Antonina), covered her with his military mantel and said to her to
lower her head and to pass through the guards before the gates. And so the virgin
escaped and the soldier Alexander remained in prison. Then they brought Alexander
before the judge and began to torture him for the Name of Christ. Hearing about
this Antonina herself appeared before the judge who then subjected both of them
to various tortures. He severed their hands, flogged their naked bodies, burned
their wounds with candles and, finally, threw them into a fire which was started
in a pit and covered them with dirt. They suffered honorably for the sake of the
love of Christ and took up habitation in the mansions of the Heavenly King on May
3, 313 A.D. Festus, the evil judge, at the moment of the death of the martyrs,
became dumb and an evil spirit seized and tormented him for seven days and killed
him.